Duke Ellington Society
Upcoming Programs

The Duke Ellington Society
presents monthly programs about
Duke Ellington and members of his orchestra.
Our programs are at 7 pm on the first Saturday of each month
from October through June at
Grace Lutheran Church
16th & Varnum Streets N.W.
Washington, D.C.

We occassionally have programs at different venues,
so if you would like to verify the subject and venue of our next program
send an email to peter@depanorama.net

A Note About Our Society

by Ted Hudson

We have been in continuous existence since 1953, when a small group of
Washington, D.C. Ellington devotees formed The Duke Ellington Jazz Society.
At Duke's suggestion, we dropped the word "Jazz" from our name, for he, with
great prescience, considered the term limiting.

There are other organizations, with various names, devoted to the study and
enjoyment of the music of Duke Ellington & His Orchestra in Southern
California, the Bay Area of California, New York City, as well as in foreign
countries such as Great Britain, Canada, and Sweden. Pittsburgh has a Billy
Strayhorn entity, and the international Duke Ellington Music Society is in
Belgium. Although each is independent, all are very closely tied by interest
and friendship. A good number of enthusiasts maintain memberships in more than
one of these organizations.

The Annual International Duke Ellington Study Group Conferences, likewise,
are all independent enterprises, each sponsored by an organization or ad hoc
interest group. The first Conference, in Washington in 1983, was held by our
Society. We have sponsored two more, including the centennial celebration
known as Ellington '99.

Our purposes and programs primarily promote appreciation of Duke Ellington
as a major cultural artist. To this end, we hold educational and entertainment
programs, encourage and support the Washington Duke Ellington Youth Project
and other student endeavors, engender and support research and critical
projects, and serve as consultants, speakers, and writers in the field. We
support and participate in the annual Conferences.

Our regular meetings are at 8 pm on the first Saturday of each month,
October through June, at the Grace Lutheran Church, 16th and Varnum Streets,
NW, Washington, DC. They are devoted primarily to listening to and discussing
the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, as interpreted by Duke's band
and other aggregations. We have a seasonal holiday party is in January and an
annual summer picnic. In addition to enjoying these events, members receive
our publication, Ellingtonia; it provides information, reviews, and news about
our activities as well as about Ellington-related events throughout the world.

Come with us as we enter the second century of Ellingtonia!

Meet Some of Our Members

There is information about some of our members on the Internet. To find
out about our other members, well ... why don't you come to one of our
meetings?

John Edward Hasse
Curator of American Music, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution
Author of "Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington"
Author of "Jazz: The First Century"